July 16 marks one year since I received my MFA degree. I’m not sure what I thought this first post-graduate year would be like. I assumed I’d whip out another book, write tons of essays and give a lot of readings for my first story collection that came out last August. I was half right. The book launch and promotion …
Hotel manuscript, many stories
So when’s your novel coming out? I’ve heard that question more times than I care to count. My answer: one step at a time. To write a novel is to run the marathon, devote countless hours slogging away through draft after draft, learning to live with characters you may or may not like, living in a place that may feel …
Fast away the old year passes
It’s time to take stock of the old year and think about ringing in the new. 2011 has been a banner year. I finished my MFA, released my first story collection and took the book on the road to signings and readings. I drew from my experience in graduate school to present research on what makes a story Southern, and …